The Showdown: Aaron Watson vs. Michael Ray

Aaron Watson is just one more win away from the Hall of Fame after another decisive Showdown victory, but first he'll have to face a challenge from a hot up-and-coming singer, Michael Ray.

Watson's new song, "Bluebonnets," is an emotionally powerful ballad about the brevity of life and how you have to make the most of it. It was inspired by the passing of his daughter, Julia, and fans have been reacting very strongly to the song, turning out to vote for it in record numbers.

Ray has just released "Think a Little Less," the third single from his self-titled album. He has a lot of heat with fans right now; he scored a No. 1 hit with "Kiss You in the Morning" and followed up with a Top 20 hit in "Real Men Love Jesus." Will it be enough to break Watson's winning streak?

Listen to clips of both Watson and Ray’s songs and vote for your favorite here. You can vote once every hour until this Showdown ends on Friday at 8AM ET, so come back and vote often to be sure your artist wins. The winner of this matchup will face a new challenger on Friday.

Listen to Aaron Watson, “Bluebonnets”

Listen to Michael Ray, "Think a Little Less"

Showdown Rules: The song with the most votes wins, and the winner goes on to face a new challenger in the next Showdown. Vote as much as once per hour online. If a song wins five Showdowns in a row, it will be retired into the Taste of Country Showdown Hall of Fame to allow for new songs to compete. Some songs will be considered for a second Showdown if voter turnout is healthy in a losing effort.